A Darkened World
by Taze X Tail
Summary: Blakk is gone and Slugterra only suffers minimal crime. Of course, Eli Shane and his friends would take care of, but they are in for a surprise when a new threat arises. Especially when two familiar faces from Eli's past show up. Includes an OC or two . . . maybe more. Rated T as precaution. Parings have yet to be realized.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya! It's me again! Wow, it's been a while since I've posted something.**

**Okay, here's the deal. This new story is a revamp of my other Slugterra story, Nightmares of the Past. Just more detail, an introduction, and more of a plot. I thank the readers who review, followed and faved my old one, but that one will be gone with this one in its place. I also have some news of my Storm Hawks fic but first, enjoy the first chapter of A Darkened World.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Outskirts of Slugterra <strong>

Curse me. This cavern was once majestic and grand, but now I roam its ruins, climbing partial buildings and pile of debris. Here I sit, on the tallest structure, overlooking the fallen city. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turn my head to see my most powerful slug, Flare, sitting there.

"Oh, Flare, look at this place! This was Slugterra's most mystical city and now it's destroyed. Some guardian I am. Only if I came sooner. . ." I said to her.

I grabbed the slug from my shoulder and held her in front of my face. I stroked her gold flame markings. Flare was not your normal Infurnus slug. She's just as powerful, yes, but there is more she can do. When she is not being used during a duel, he flame she gives off shows you things that she deems important. She is also white in color, and of course, with her golden marks. She is my greatest friend (as well as my other slugs). My father had given her to me when I turned 10. That was six years ago, a month before his death from unexpected heart failure.

"Oh, father . . . why me?" I asked hanging my head.

"Hello?"

I perked up. I saw someone I didn't expect to see.

"Mr. Shane?"

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><p>I didn't know where I was. One moment, I was doing reconnaissance of the Deep Caverns near the Dark Bane Fortress, the next I ended up here; a cavern that had been destroyed ruthlessly. I wandered the ruins and found a young girl talking to her slug.<p>

"Hello?" I called to her.

She perked up and looked at me. Her hair was black as night and her eyes were a beautiful shade of gray. I've could of sworn I had seen her somewhere. On the other hand, she knew me.

"Mr. Shane?"

Her face shined with happiness, as if she felt relieved with my presence. Then I realized who she was.

"Athena? Little Athena?"

"Not so little anymore, huh?" she said playfully.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked her.

She hung her head in sadness. She told me her story. It seems the Shanes weren't the only ones form the surface that protected Slugterra. The Cassidays were called the Rangers, slingers who helped keep the peace with the outer regions of Slugterra, which the Shanes can't reach quickly. Unfortunately, the previous Ranger, Milo Cassiday and Athena's father, died of a strange heart failure. Athena couldn't become the Ranger until she turned fifteen, similar to the promise I made Eli keep if he wanted to take my place one day. However, the places she was supposed to keep in order were already destroyed before she arrived; but by whom, she has no clue. The cavern we're standing in now was known as the Sanctuary City Cavern. According to her, from her father, it was this grand city with was home to many people, including a king and queen. In my many years of service to Slugterra, it was something I have never thought possible.

"But, why stay here, my dear? Why not travel the rest of Slugterra instead of this place?" I asked her, concerned of her situation.

"Oh? I only come here to pay my respects . . . to the souls I failed to protect," she stated honestly and depressingly.

"Athena, from what you tell me, what happened here wasn't your fault."

"Maybe, but I wish there was something I could have done. I guess this is how Eli probably felt when you were pronounced dead."

She turned away from me as my heart dropped and my eyes widened with shock.

"P-pronounced . . . d-dead?" I questioned astounded.

Athena just hung her head in sorrow. Well, I shouldn't be surprised. No one, even Eli, knew that I was stuck in the Deep Caverns.

"According to the stories I heard from merchants, they said you were killed off by Dr. Blakk. Their rumor stated that it was because of his prototype ghoul slugs. No one brushed off the theory. After you were gone, the crime rate had increased. That is, until Eli stepped up to plate."

I smiled slightly at her last statement. I remained quiet as I processed the rest in.

"Speaking of Eli, would you like to see him?" she asked me.

"Of course I would. And by the way, call me Will."

I can't believe Will Shane is alive. Eli will be so happy. But, how will he react once he sees me? Sure, we were close when we were kids. However, he has no idea I'm even in Slugterra, nor does he know about the story I just told his father. Well, with Blakk gone, I'm sure he's looking for something interesting.

I led Eli's father to where my mecha-beast was resting. Fortunately, it was able to carry the both of us. It was the rare RVX model, which mostly resembled a raptor; standing on two legs, speed and all. An hour passed and we were already in the Crystal Caverns, two caverns over.

"Tell me something," Will started speaking, "Does he know you're down here?"

I sighed. I knew he was speaking about Eli. I told him the same thing. Well, not the part nervous feeling part.

"I see."

"I didn't want to get in his way. With his victory against Blakk and his current battles against the remnants of his lackeys, he and his friends have already so much on their plate. "

He remained silent. I guess he was taking everything in.

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><p>Meanwhile, a figure hidden in the shadows watched as a girl with jet black hair pass him on her mecha. A buzzing sound echoed in his ear.<p>

_"Agent Quinn, report your status."_

The said agent placed two fingers to his ear.

"Ranger Athena Cassiday is on her way out . . ."

Then he noticed who the passenger was.

". . . and it seems that her passenger has returned from the dead," He ended it with a surprised face.

_"What?"_

"I appears that she is acquainted with Will Shane."

_"Aftermath of Blakk's downfall perhaps . . . Return to base immediately."_

"Understood, sir."

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><p>We had to stop for it was getting late in Slugterra. Eli's father and I made camp. Luckily, I kept an extra sleeping bag and blanket with me. I set them up while he started a fire.<p>

Once I was finished, my slugs gathered on mine and did their own thing for a little bit; sleep, chat or watch me. Mr. Sha . . . I mean Will looked at them contently. It must have been a while since he saw any real slugs.

My slugs mean everything to me. They were my only company, yet my best friends. In total I have nine. I introduced them to Will Shane; my Aquabeak, Aquarius; my Tazerling, Discharge; my Boon Doc, Sage; my Thresher, Razor; my Hoverbug, Gale; my Frightgiest, Nightmare; my Frostcrawler, Zero; and my White Infurnus, Flare.

"That's quite an arsenal. A White Infurnus, huh? I only read about that slug in books, but I've never seen one. It's quite beautiful," Eli's father had said.

Flare, who I was playing with, turned toward the man, smirked and let out a confirming grunt. I smiled.

Then I felt something move around in the hood of my jacket. Flare hopped on my shoulder with a smile and I looked back. My last slug popped up. She was black as night, but the nightly light made her silver marks shine.

"Oh, hey there, Shadow. You sleep well?" I asked her.

She yawned and nodded with a smile.

"What kind of slug is that?" Mr. Shane asked curiously.

You know, for an older man, he can sometimes act as a child. Anyway, I put my hand in front of Shadow and Flare and they jumped on it. I showed her to him.

"This is Shadow, my Meridian slug. During the day, you won't really she much of her since she's sensitive to light. All Meridian slugs are. However, if they remain in a dark place for a long period of time, then they can aid you in battle anytime."

Then he asked me another question.

"Out of curiosity, how do you know where Eli is, if you haven't seen him yet?"

I let a sheepish grin grow on my face.

"Oh, right . . ."

I stood up and went to the pack I had at the back of the seat. I rummaged through it and pulled out my digital map of Slugterra. I pressed a few buttons and the image on my transparent screen was projected into the space above the fire. My map had different types of schematics of Slugterra, but the one I was showing the older Shane one of the latest installments.

"I found an old Shane hideout near the Aqua Caverns. There, I found a map of the other hideouts around Slugterra," I explained, "The orange stars are their locations, and this is the one Eli is currently living in with his friends."

I focused on that specific location.

"However, I never knew what that white "X" was. What's so special about it?" I asked, pointing to it, which, in real measurements, would be only a few yards away.

Will's eyes widened and he thought about it for a second. He looked around. It must be something top secret and had to be cautious. You never know. Someone may have been watching us.

Then, when he was about to say something, the sound of blasters and slugs colliding echoed in the distance.

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><p><strong>A little bit of a cliffhanger there.<strong> **Yes, Will Shane lives. I'm not really sure on how he would reveal himself to Eli, but he eventually would (I'm not spoiling nothing, even though I haven't written more for this yet.) Did you like it? Was it better than Nightmares of the Past? Let me know, please. I love reviews.**

**Now, for the readers of my Storm Hawks fic, I'm working on the second chapter, which would really be chapter one since the first is a prologue. Anyway, I hope to have it done soon, but for now, you can enjoy my other installments or check out what I've faved on my page.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, fellow readers! I got chapter 2 done! Yay! Enjoy!**

_**Warning: Contains spoilers for the ones who haven't seen the episode "What Lies Beneath".**_

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><p>Chapter 2: Is It Just Coincidence?<p>

We slowly made our way to the site of the battle. We stayed hidden in shadows of the bushes so we wouldn't be detected. We were awe-stricken when we saw who was dueling. He was wearing dark blue jeans with built in kneepads; black boots and fingerless forearm length, dueling gloves; a mostly black, sleeveless, standing collar jacket with white accents; an orange backpack thing; and a bandoleer of slugs thrown across his chest. An orange blaster was gripped in his right hand. What really struck us were his hair and his eyes. His shoulder length hair was navy blue, and his eyes were as blue as the sky. Also, he had an orange star on his bandoleer shoulder pad and his Infurnus slug on his shoulder.

It was Eli. What a coincidence!

"Well, what do you know," I whispered as the shock left me.

I turned by attention to Will. His eyes were tearing up, yet he had a smile on his face. I let a small smile crawl on my face. He was happy to see his son again, even though it wasn't the circumstances we'd expected.

Then I went back to Eli. I realized something after that. Who was he dueling? He was the only one in that clearing.

"How many times do we have to do this, Twist?" he called out.

_"As many times I need to take you down!"_ the voice called Twist answered angrily.

"Blakk is gone! You can live your own life now!"

_"Not if there's a Shane patrolling the caverns! It's because of your father that I lost mine!"_

I looked back at Will and saw shock take his smile away. I didn't know what the voice named Twist meant, but because of the anger in his voice, it must have been a mistake on Will's part. Then I heard Will gasp as wave of red energy whizzed past my head. When I recovered, I saw Will stuck to a tree by a web spun by the ghouled Arachnet slug standing at the base of the tree.

I saw Eli's face. It was a mix of joy, hurt and sadness. He just stared at his father, unmoving.

A cloud of glitter appeared behind Eli, which was unbeknownst to him. Out from it came a guy about his age. He had spiky blonde hair and teal-colored eyes. He wore a short-sleeve, dark green shirt; a dark brown, unzipped, sleeveless, standing collar vest; dark gray pants with built in dark brown kneepads; dark brown boots and wrist length dueling gloves; and a bandoleer and belt of slugs.

Twist.

"Eli, behind you!" Will shouted.

Like that, Eli turned around and fired a Frostcrawler, but Twist turned to dust again. He appeared once more next to Will, his blaster aimed at the Shane's head. Eli turned to him again as Twist's blaster charged.

_Aw, crap, I got to do something!_

"Aw, a father worried for his son. How was your trip to the Deep Caverns, Will Shane?" Twist said slyly.

_He knows about that?_

"What the heck are you talking about?" Eli asked.

Then I heard a little chirp and looked to my shoulder. Flare was sitting there with a confident grin on her face.

"You want a crack at this guy? You got it!" I whispered.

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><p>I had no idea what was going on. First, I was battling Twist and next I find myself staring into the eyes of my father. While I was . . . distracted, Twist had the opportunity to shoot me in the back. Luckily, my father noticed this and warned me. I turned around and fired Chiller at Twist, but he disappeared again, and then appearing next to my father, aiming his blaster at his head.<p>

"Aw, a father worried for his son. How was your trip to the Deep Caverns, Will Shane?" Twist said.

At first my eyes narrowed, but widened as he said 'Deep Caverns'.

"What the heck are you talking about?" I asked him.

Then a blaster shot echoed through the clearing and a stream if golden flames darted towards Twist. He vanished once more, but did not appear again.

_"Don't worry, Eli. I'll be back when the odds are even!"_

With that, the battle ended. I loaded Buzzsaw into my blaster and fired at the web that held my dad. He landed on his knees and I studied him a bit.

He wore the same attire I last saw him in; a white and gray jacket, blue jeans, black boots and gloves.

; But was dirty and tattered. Same went for his hair, which reached his back. He also had a beard. His bandoleer was empty and his blaster clipped to his belt.

"You got some explaining to do," I told him as I helped him up, "But, first . . . Alright, man, show yourself!"

"Actually, it's woman."

A girl no older than me walked out from behind the bushes. She wore a sleeveless, black and purple, hooded jacket with a lime green symbol patched on it. She wore black shorts, black boots that went to her thighs and black dueling gloves that went past her elbows. Like me, a bandoleer of slugs was hanging from her shoulder, but she also had a slug belt. Her purple and lime green blaster clasped onto her belt. Her jet-black hair was long, bangs covering half of her face. What really got me were her eyes; they were a familiar shade of gray.

Then there was a chirp and I saw this cool-looking slug stroll towards her. It looked like Burpy before he reached his mega-morph form, but was white and had gold markings. The girl bent down and let her hand touch the ground for her slug to jump on it. Afterwards, she placed it on her shoulder.

"Sorry you weren't able to hit him, Flare," the girl stated.

Then Burpy chirped in my ear and I looked at him.

"What?" I asked him.

He chirped some more and pointed upwards. I looked up and saw nothing. It only added to the confusion I already have.

"That's not what he's trying to tell you, Eli," my father stated with a smile.

"It's been a long time, Eli," the girl said.

Then I realized who she was.

"Athena! How . . . why are you in Slugterra?!" I asked her.

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><p>"Athena! How . . . why are you in Slugterra?!"<p>

I've got to admit, he was kind of cute when he's surprised. He was back then to. When I'd scare or startle him, he'd look shocked and he'd stutter.

"You have never change, Eli. You're easy to startle," I chuckled, "Now, get your mecha and follow us back to our campsite. There we will tell you everything.

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><p>At the campsite, we told Eli about earlier and why Athena was down here in the first place. We told him where I have been.<p>

"Darn it!" Eli shouted as he stood up from where he sat.

"Blakk didn't kill me, but sent me to the Deep Caverns," I sighed flatly.

"No, that's not it! If I'd known that you were down there, I would have looked for you during that mission!"

"What mission?" I asked curiously.

Eli sighed. He told us about how he and his friends, "The Shane Gang", which there hasn't been a Shane Gang since my Great- grandmother Alondra and Great-uncle Luke were the Shanes. Anyway, he told us that they were running from Dr. Blakk, outnumbered twenty to four. They were pushed into a nearby canyon that held another Drop. It also held the entrance to the Deep Caverns that was protected by the Guardian slugs and Shadow Clan.

"The Dark Bane was trying to break through, and we used Shadow Clan tech to get inside. However, our slug couldn't transform due to the lack of slug energy. And, I see that the lack of slug energy of that wretched place had took its toll," Eli continued and pointed at my empty bandoleer.

He went on. He said, unfortunately, that they only had one choice if they wanted to stop the Dark Bane's plan; ghoul their slugs. They didn't like it, but it seemed their slugs supported it. Luckily, Eli had a healer like Athena's, but according to Eli, his was green and not white. They battled the Dark Bane, but were still outmatched. Eventually, the door to Slugterra was opened. Eli and his friends had to fight from the other side. The Shadow Clan sentry didn't like what they did to their slugs, but Eli reassured him it was the slugs' idea. At the end of it all, it seemed that Eli's healer, Doc, was the one who closed the door. He healed up the other slugs, including the Guardian slugs, and ended up becoming a Guardian himself.

"Wow . . ." Athena said trying to imagine how the mission really would have gone if she was there.

On the other hand, I remained silent. I can't believe that he had to go through all that, especially at an age so young. Sure, I said he can take up slinging once he reached fifteen, but I didn't expect that. And that was only one mission. How many other adventure has he been on?

"Now, dad, tell me something," Eli told me.

"What is it?"

"Tell me about what really happened to Twist's father and between you and Tom Por."

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><p><strong>I think it's a little shorter than the last one, but, it qualifies. I hope you liked it!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again. It's been a while huh? My internet was shut off. However, during that time, I was able to get a lot of writing done, but more for my Storm Hawks story than this one. Even so, I managed to get a couple of more chapters written. Oh, by the way, this is my lead in for both chapters. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Slugterra except for my OC.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Unwrapped<strong>

"Tell me about what really happened to Twist's father and between you and Tom Por."

I knew Eli was happy to see his father again, but there must have been some mistakes that Will made that drove anger towards Eli. And he was tired of it. I sat on my sleeping bag with mine and Eli's slugs and we watched Eli question his father.

Before he did, he told us about Danna, Tom Por's daughter and how she tried to retrieve the cut of treasure that he was promised. The first time he and the rest of the Shane Gang met her, they had nothing. After she left, Eli found a chest sealed in metal and they needed a Forgesmelter slug to open it. So, they went to the Magma Caverns to get one, but of course, ran into Danna again. Then she told Eli why she wanted what was in the chest.

"I understood the part where you were gone for days at time. You were with me. But, what happened during that duel? Why did you not give Por what he was guaranteed?" Eli had asked his father angrily.

"If you opened that chest, then you saw what is there; just a bunch of junk from the surface. The only items valuable down here were the Shadow Jumper and the Shadow Talker," Will stated matter-of-factly, "As for the duel…that duel… I hated it. I didn't want to duel him."

"Why did you?" I questioned.

His expression turned apologetic.

"That man, one of the best sentries around," he admitted, "But he had a bad habit of jumping to conclusions. Yes, I was working with the Shadow Clan, but they aren't our enemies. They do like to keep to themselves, but they are the natural protectors of Slugterra. They make sure that the balance of nature is kept, although they can be quite brutal. Still, the Shanes have been allied with them for generations. We both wanted only one thing; peace in Slugterra. I dueled Tom because it was the only way to show him that what I was doing was not the wrong thing as he thought. The worst thing I gave him was a busted ankle…even if it was accidental."

And then Eli asked about Twist's father. Will stood up from the borrowed sleeping bag and turned away from us.

"Twist was the one who held the blaster to my head today, right?" he asked, glancing at Eli.

Eli nodded to confirm. Will turned away again.

"So he was that little kid from before? Time sure flies," Will sighed sadly, looking up at the treetops, "Well, I don't remember him being called 'Twist', but I do remember the boy's face…and his father. His name was Darius Hood, and he was a big-time slug thief. He stole slugs from personal collections, shelters and breeding grounds made for repopulating endangered species."

"That's terrible," I stated and the slugs chirped in agreement.

"I finally caught him one night and what came after that was something I wasn't proud of."

"Dad, what happened?" Eli asked, almost like he was too afraid to ask.

Will was silent for a moment then he spoke, "That night, I found him, with his son, stealing from a storehouse a group of environmentalists owned."

"Environmentalists? What do they need a storehouse for?" Eli asked.

"It's so they can do their job," I added thoughtfully, "Environmentalists use them to safely store slugs whose habitats were slowly being destroyed by something harmful or that's not supposed to be there. When they have found and solved the problem, they return the slugs to their natural habitats. And they have to or the work they have done is pointless."

Eli and his father eyed me in confusion.

"Are you serious? As Shanes, aren't you supposed know that a cavern without slugs will die with the lack of slug energy?"

"No, we know, but we're just wondering how you know so much about these environmentalists," Eli said bluntly.

"I tell you later, just let your father continue the story," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Right," Eli said as if he remembered something important.

Will sighed.

"As I said before, he was stealing from a storehouse. I found him and he ran, or rather rode away his mecha, slugs and son in tow. I shot at them trying to stop him…"

An ashamed look appeared on his face. We just waited for his answer. He went silent for a moment then continued. I turned to Eli, an expression of understanding on his face.

"Let me guess… The storehouse was built on top of a cliff, wasn't it? You shot a slug at the wrong place and he went over," Eli inquired with a sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes, and I don't blame the kid for hating me. I went to the cavern's authorities, told him what happened and they found his son a home. Or, at least I hope they did."

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><p>An hour after my father explained himself, he fell asleep on the sleeping bag that Athena lent him (she told me she did).<p>

I get it now. It's as the saying goes… no one, not even a Shane, is perfect in every way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that my dad hasn't made mistakes before Por and Hood. Accidents happen; Danna made it sound like my dad killed hers, but all he did was break is ankle, by accident. What happened to Hood was a mistake as well. To be quite honest, I should have waited to ask those questions. But I guess I was kind of tired of hearing it from Twist and the other thugs I have faced over the past couple of years. I think I was also curious to know.

Speaking of curiosity, mine was peaked when I saw this awesome looking, raptor mecha on the other side of the campsite. I walked over to it from where I was standing. I assumed it was powered by slug energy because the energy spinners were blue. Its base color was black. I say "base color" because it had white and gray decals on it, which made it look as awesome as it was. It also had its model name "RVX" in lime green on one of the arms.

"Like it?"

I turned to see Athena beside me, leaning on the mecha.

"This is yours, right?"

She nodded.

"It's sweet. I'm sure Kord's going to be stoked when he sees it," I told her, eyeing the mecha, "He loves working with mechas and experimenting with mechanics."

Then I realized that…

"Wait a minute, isn't the RVX model like super rare?"

"Yup, it's one of three. This one was my father's, but I found it all beat up. I took it to a mechanic and she fixed it up perfectly."

It went silent for a moment, but it was broken by a chirp. I turned to the source and found Burpy and Joules on the floor looking at me. I could tell that they wanted in on the conversation, so I bent over and placed my hand in front of them so they could sit on my shoulders. I turned to face Athena again and she was looking at my slugs with a smile.

"By the way they come to you; it seems you take care of them well. Well hello, little Infurnus! I haven't seen you in a while! And I see you've changed a bit."

I was stunned. I looked at Burpy.

"You've met?" I asked him.

He nodded with a smile.

"I found him peeking into my room one day. I guessed he sensed Flare when my father brought her up to the surface," Athena chuckled, "I was going to take him in but he told me that he had an owner already. So we agreed to keep quiet about it. Actually, I would have told him to tell you about it if I had known you were his slinger."

Burpy chirped in agreement and I laughed as I crossed my arms.

"Of course… So, what does a Ranger actually do? And how come you know so much about what environmentalists do?"

"Like I said before, Rangers patrol the outer caverns of Slugterra, the caverns you can't reach in just one or two days. Speaking of which, what are you doing all the way out here in Fauna Forest Cavern?"

"I was on a retrieval mission. I thought it was no big deal so I came alone. I had to get this package from a slug merchant that owns a shop in the Requiem Villa Cavern and give it to the master of the Bastion Manor in the Obsidian Caverns," I started to explain.

"The Obsidian Caverns? There's no manor in the Obsidian Caverns," she exclaimed, "I've walked every inch of that place and I haven't seen a manor, or a sign of civilization for that matter."

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way. It was a trap set up by Twist and his new allies. I was outnumbered I think…ten to one. On the other hand, I wasn't outgunned. I shot most of them down as I retreated," I said with a chuckle as I remembered what happened.

"I remember Twist saying he'll be back when the 'odds are even.' I guess that was just an excuse. And why didn't you face them head on then?" Athena asked.

"We were coming upon this cavern, so I thought I'd let the trees handle them. Only Twist was able to stay on my tail. Next part was where you and Dad came in."

"Wait, you said that you got a package that you supposed to take to the Obsidian Caverns?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you still have it?"

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><p>We walked over to where Eli parked his mecha-beast. He opened the messenger bag that he tied around the neck of it and took out a box wrapped in brown paper and string. I noticed the note card on it. I read it, not paying attention to Eli as he opened it.<p>

"Take this and let it take the first step in the reconstruction of what has fallen."

"What on Earth is this?!" Eli asked as he saw what was in the parcel.

He showed it to me. It was a stone the size of a golf ball; blood red with neon red veins that pulsated like a heart. I heard Shadow hiss from my hood. I looked at her to see her ranting at it. Then I looked at the slugs on Eli's shoulder, but it wasn't just the two. All of Eli's slugs except his Infurnus went into the backpack thing on his back. Mine, save for Flare and Shadow, went into their slug tubes.

"Well, whatever it is, it's making our slugs freak out," I said, "Cover it!"

Eli listened and topped the box quickly.

"What's going on?"

Eli and I turned to see Will sitting up in his sleeping bag.

"We don't even know ourselves," Eli stated with a cringe as he held the parcel out in front of him.

Then I heard squeaks from down on the floor. I saw Aquarius and a Frostcrawler that wasn't Zero.

"Aquarius and…" I started to say as I saw Aquarius' tube empty.

"Chiller? I thought you went inside. What is it?" Eli questioned.

Chiller turned away from us and blew ice at the area in front of him. He made a large bowl out of it. Then Aquarius filled it with water. Afterwards, she pointed to it.

"What do you want us to do?" I asked her.

She then pointed to the parcel and then to the ice bowl again.

"You want us to put this thing in there?"

Aquarius gave me a nod and I turned to Eli. He opened the box again slowly. Aquarius and Chiller scurried onto the respective owners as I carefully lifted the stone and placed it in the water. The neon red on it gave off a bright light. When it died down, we were astonished at what we saw. The water turned red and thick gave off a dark aura. The slugs must have sensed it before Will, Eli or I can. Eli gasped when he saw the liquid.

"Dark Water…" he breathed, awe-stricken.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Shadow's Plan**

I did not believe my eyes. The one thing that I thought I would never see again is right here in front of me; Dark Water.

"Dark Water?" Athena said. She was just as astonished as I was.

"This is the liquid in the lakes of the Deep Caverns. What is it doing up here?" my father asked.

"There were wells that seeped up from that place. They were tiny, until Blakk drilled into them so he can take some of the evil liquid for himself. It rivals slug energy. It's how his so called 'empire' grew," Athena explained.

"And it's what he used to make his ghouls, slugs taken over by the evil energy of it," I added with a sigh, "And there's still a few more out there."

It was silent for a moment.

"So that's what Blakk did to that slug," my father said with sadness in his voice.

Then Athena gasped.

"Um, Eli you might want to check your slugs…" she warned.

"What?" I questioned as I looked at her bandoleer.

My eyes widened in shock and my father backed away. The light the stone gave off when in turned into Dark Water changed her arsenal into ghouls.

"No, my poor babies!" she cried as she went over to where the fire was.

I looked back at my pack.

"Hey, are you guys alright in there?" I called out to them. I saw Spinner, Chiller and Burpy poked their heads out, and I was relieved that they weren't ghouled.

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe it! My slugs turned to ghouls in just one shot; and that's not the worst of it! The worst part was that with Sage turned too, there was no way I could heal them. I went by the fire and placed them on my sleeping bag still in their tubes. But when I did, they jumped out of them and ran off to the other side of the clearing.<p>

"Chiller, Spinner! I need you," I heard Eli say.

But I was too focused on my slugs' condition to realize what he was about to do. Then the sound of a blaster went off twice and I saw a veloco-morphed Chiller and Arachnet at my now ghouled slugs. I knew what Eli was planning, but…

"What are doing?!" Will yelled at him.

"Just calm down and take another look," he growled back and pointed towards them again.

Chiller had closed off the area, surrounding them with a wall of ice that was knee-high. The Arachnet covered the top with its webbing so they wouldn't escape. I looked into the slug-made cage and saw them snarling at each other. Eli came up beside me and turned to his father who had come up next to him.

"Did you really think that I would do that to a slug? They may be ghouled, but those are still Athena's slugs in there," Eli exclaimed, "Although, without Doc or her healer, there's not much else we can do."

Then I heard a chirp right by my ear. I turned my head to see Shadow on my shoulder, unaffected by the reaction of the stone in water. She was barking at me for some reason though, but I was happy she was alright.

"Thank goodness!" I sighed in relief, gently grabbed Shadow from my shoulder.

"Looks like your Meridian was spared," Will said.

"Meridian?" Eli questioned.

Then Shadow pointed to her ghouled friends.

"There's nothing we can do with Sage turned as well, Shadow."

Then she jumped with a bark of disagreement and pointed at my blaster. I finally realized what she was trying to tell me.

"Whoa, whoa; you're not thinking about…"

She nodded and gave an "it's alright" sound.

"No, it's too risky!"

"Mind filling us in?" Eli asked coolly.

I looked up to see him standing over us, trying to get a piece of the conversation. As I stood up, he backed off. I sighed.

"A Meridian slug gains power from the slug energy in the shadows. Or, you might as well say they can absorb the darkness," I started explaining.

"Shadows give off slug energy?" Eli asked.

"I'll explain later, but I will tell you this; since Shadow absorbs darkness, she repels light. A Boon Doc's healing light is ineffective on Meridian slugs," I stated as I looked at Shadow.

"What?" Both Shanes said, one in confusion the other in awe.

"Meaning if she was ghouled, there wouldn't be a way to change her back," I said sadly.

"But she's not ghouled," Eli reminded.

He looked at Shadow with concern.

"Yes, but what she has in mind might change that."

"What does she have planned?" Will asked, almost too afraid to ask.

I frowned and stayed silent for a moment.

"She plans on absorbing the evil energy from them," I sighed, gesturing to my ghouled arsenal.

Eli gasped and his father rubbed the back of his neck with a concerned, "this is a rough situation" expression on his face.

"Wouldn't she become a ghoul if she did?" the older Shane asked.

"It's a possibility."

"Huh?"

"A couple of nights after Shadow became a part of my team, I ran into a squad of Blakk's goons. I caught them in their scheme, they saw me, realized who I was, and they shot at me. I wanted to see what Shadow was capable of, so I shot her first. When the dust settled, she stood there on the ground, cured ghouls standing beside her. She had absorbed the evil energy from them."

Then Eli sighed with relief. I glared at him angrily. He saw and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he questioned, "If she absorbed the energy of the ghouls and did not become a ghoul herself, then she can do it without a hitch."

"There were only three that time," I argued heatedly, and then I pointed to my ghouled slugs, "Sage, Discharge, Gale, Nightmare, Zero, Aquarius, Razor…"

I silenced and lowered my hand with a frown before I said the last name. At first, I was enraged and even ashamed with what happened to my precious friends; but now, I was heartbroken to see them like this.

"And Flare… there's eight here! I don't want to see another of my friends turned."

I turned away so the Shanes wouldn't see my tears.

* * *

><p>It's true, that in one day, a lot can change; especially in Athena's world. She was happy to see my father and I, not only together, but for the first time in years. However, with the sudden change of her arsenal, she was heartbroken. She had to turn away because she didn't want us to see her tears. I looked to my father, and he had the same expression I did. We hated to see our friends like this. I walked to Athena and placed a hand on her shoulder.<p>

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to save them," I told her as she wiped her face.

Actually, there was already an option in front of her. The unchanged slug she had in her hand, Shadow, said that she can absorb the dark energy from the ghouls, turning them back to their normal states. The down side is that she may become a ghoul herself and a healer, not even hers, can heal her.

Then I heard a chirp coming from my mecha. Both I and Athena looked in that direction to see my father standing there.

"What is it, Burpy?" he had asked.

When we reached it, Burpy had already opened the item compartment of my mecha. I looked inside to see only the first aid kit and the Shadow Talker. Burpy chirped again and pointed at the circlet. I was my turn to ask the questions.

"The Talker? You think the Shadow Clan might know something about this?"

Burpy nodded at me to confirm. I took it out of the compartment. I was about to put it on, but my father stopped me.

"No, you can't. It will take your mind if you can't handle it," he demanded.

I ignored him and put in on anyway. I wasn't fazed one bit. I turned to my astonished father with a smirk.

"Dad, I've been using this for quite a while now. You don't need to worry about me," I told him confidently.

It took a few moments, but the Shadow Clan leader did show up.

"What is it, young Eli Shane?" he asked.

Then he noticed my father.

"Will Shane lives?" he questioned in wonder.

I nodded and first told him about the stone.

"Hm, it was a good thing you asked for us. If what you had told me was true, the stone you, your father and the Ranger have previously obtained was the substance we have been researching."

"Seriously?"

"Indeed. We have learned it to be the solidified form of what you call Dark Water."

"What? How is that even possible?" I asked astonished.

"All we know is that it cannot transform slugs into abominations you call 'ghouls' while in this form. In addition, we know that it cannot be melted or sublimed and that water is needed to recreate the evil liquid. But be warned, the light emitted from the reaction turns slugs."

"We know; we learned the hard way," I sighed sadly.

He looked at me with confusion.

"Follow me."

I led him to the caged ghouls. Athena and my father followed as well.

"Our slugs insisted we place the stone in water. They made that bowl over there," I told him, pointing to the ice bowl of Dark Water, "My slugs were safe in the pack, but the light turned Athena's while they were in their tubes. Only the slug she now holds in her hand is the only one that has been spared."

He looked to Athena, making her concerned, and then spotted Shadow.

"Ah, then you have hope. The Meridian slug can absorb the evil energy of these slugs and cure them of their curse," he said still looking at the slug.

"What's he saying?" Athena asked with uncertainty.

"He said what you said. Shadow can change back your slugs to their original states by soaking in the evil energy," I translated with a sigh.

Then she asked him, "But, wouldn't it change her instead? Boon Docs can't heal Meridians."

He walked up to her and held out his hand, signaling that she give him her slug. She looked at him hesitantly, then looked at me for confirm. I nodded and she placed Shadow in his hand. He held Shadow up to face level and observed her for a moment.

"This Meridian slug can. She has enough slug energy within to counterattack the evil energy," he said calmly.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, confused about his answer.

"A Meridian slug can take in only so much of this evil energy. It all depends on how much energy it already has inside it. For example, this one has more than enough to absorb the darkness within these slugs."

"So, you're saying that she will not change if she were to heal them."

He nodded and I heard Athena squeal with delight.

"Now, I must take my leave, until next time, young Shane."

With that, he vanished, and I removed the Talker from my head.


End file.
